Food Safety Management

Registering food premises

If you are planning to start a new catering business, you must register your premises with the environmental health service at your local authority at least 28 days before opening.

This is a legal requirement under the Food Premises (Registration) Regulations 1991 and applies to most types of food business, including catering businesses run from home, and mobile or temporary premises such as stalls and burger vans. Use the contact details below for information on how to register.

If food premises are used by several catering businesses (for example, a village hall or conference centre), the person who allows the premises to be used for this purpose is responsible for registering them, even if you use other premises too.

You might also need to register as self-employed and /or register for VAT. These registration processes are completely separate from registering your food premises.

Remember that you might need planning permission to alter premises. And you will also need to pay business rates on most premises.

Contact your local authority for information on these matters.

Rules about premises

When you choose the premises for your business, it is very important to make sure that they:

• meet the necessary regulations
• are suitable for the purpose of your business
• allow you to prepare food safely

for further information use the contact details below.

Health and safety

You must work in a way that protects the health and safety of your employees and other people who might be affected by what you do. If you have five or more employees, you must have a written health and safety policy, which describes your health and safety arrangements.

For more information, see the Small Business Service publication, Small Firms: Health and Safety, or contact the Health and Safety Executive on 08701 545 500 or use the link to their website on the right of this page.

For more information or to register your premises contact:

City Help Desk on 023 9283 4253